Run 5k
WOD 6 re-cap:
This week was a variation of possibly the most classic CrossFit couplet, FRAN. I have to say the good ol' balls to the wall 21-15-9 version is much more intense for an elite CF'er than the increasing rep ladder 7 minute version that we did this week. The classic version of Fran is an all out anaerobic sprint followed by several minutes of wishing death upon oneself. This 7 minute version involved more strategy and pacing to get the best score and therefore was a bit less intense than FRAN.
WOD 6 required great work capacity, as we know the thruster and pull up combination can ratchet up horse power like nobody's business. The thruster is light enough that conditioning is the issue here vs. strength. Chest to bar pull ups require a great deal of explosiveness, but actually lower the output of the WOD compared to the chin over the bar variety. Each C2B pull up is more work than a chin up variety, but athletes fail C2B's sooner and therefor end up resting more reducing the overall output of the workout.
All in all this was a great way to wrap things up in classic CF style.
Looking Back at the Open:
We just finished competing in the world's largest sporting event. Nearly 30,000 athletes from all over the world performed set out to compete in the the six/seven week period. Competitors were ranked against each other in their respective regions as well as against the entire world. The workouts were designed with the goal of global participation in hopes of inclusion of anyone and everyone who wished to test themselves against the baddest ass mofos around. The level of participation, the level of outstanding athletes, and the breadth of fitness abilities tested were all of epic proportions. Despite some of the technical difficulties in organizing this whole event, it was pulled off very nicely and should give us exactly what it was designed to… the world's fittest athletes.
Seven weeks turned out to be a very long time, not just for the athletes, but also for the affiliates who validated 96% of all the scored workouts. It was an exhausting process trying to compete for the duration of the event as well as dealing with all of our 50+ athletes and making sure they got what they needed.
Attempting to program our training to maximize both our continued progress and our results in the competition proved to be difficult goals to balance. Looking back, we probably emphasized competition performance a bit too much and lost sight of the bigger picture. I can say that I was feeling the effects of a decreased training volume and a lack of conditioning when I needed it most on the fifth week's 20 minute ass pounding. Too much rest, and too much tapering was good for the first few weeks, but caught up over the long haul. It was definitely a unique challenge that caused us to look at things differently and learn new things about about training. For this I appreciate the experience very much.
As for all of you guys, although I haven't had much chance to crunch numbers and look at rankings, I am very proud of all who participated. Like every other CF event that we have put our athletes through, you all outperformed your previous capabilities and many of you were forced to accomplish things that seemed out of sight. You will all reap the permanent benefits of realizing your potential, as well as your weaknesses. There is nothing like public competition to force one to learn and grow, and you all did just that. Remember the potentials you have realized, and remember your shortcomings. Continue to improve on your new PR's and keep tackling those goats on a daily basis. You will come back next year stronger athletes and more seasoned competitors. Great job to all of you!
As for some stats on our regional qualifiers, here goes. CFES's top athlete of all was Brooke, finishing 6th in the region out of 366 ranked women, and 73rd in the world out of 4449 ranked women. Loren also had a some great performances putting her in 58th place in Nor Cal and 637th in the world. Blair had consistently great scores putting him 7th in the region out of 594 ranked men, and 81st in the world out of 8520 men. I was next finishing 21st in the region and 198th in the world, with Travis closely behind in 29th and 261st respectively. As a team, CFES finished 4th in Nor Cal out of 48 ranked teams and 33rd in the world out of 634 ranked teams.
It was apparent that the competition had a high percentage of drop out or disqualified teams and athletes. During the first weeks of competition, there were over 900 men on the leaderboard in Nor Cal, and over 70 teams. To see only 637 ranked finishers, and 48 teams suggests that there was about a 30% DNF rate amongst competitors and teams. Not surprising give the length of the challenge as well as the inclusion of less experienced athletes. As for CFES, we started with 51 athletes participating and finished with 47, giving us an 8% drop off rate. Not too bad. Big props to those of you who had to PR a lift or movement just to stay in this thing. CF is about pushing your limits and realizing new potential.
